James Cameron Talks 3D In Gaming, Future Of Glasses

They've been passing out 3D glasses in movie theaters for decades. But things are changing, and they're changing with the help of video games.

While 3D entertainment keeps getting bigger and bigger, movie director James Cameron says the technology owes much of its continued growth to games. In speaking to Yahoo, the "Avatar" director (who is currently working on the sequel), says 3D gaming is the "entry level for most people."

"Video games are going to help propel the autostereoscopic (glasses-free) play because that's going to be the entry level for most people. These single-viewing devices that are engaging the person to play these video games will drive a lot of investment in autostereoscopic displays for that very reason."

That sounds like he's referring to the Nintendo 3DS, but don't forget that Avatar: The Game was one of the very first 3D offerings in the interactive entertainment world, and you can probably expect the same thing when "Avatar 2: The Game" arrives. But will all this home 3D entertainment eventually erase the glasses from theaters? Cameron doesn't think so:

"I don't think we'll ever get rid of the glasses in movie theaters. Not in my lifetime, anyway, but we're going to get rid of them at home because it's a different viewing model type. You're doing other things. You're pausing a game or a movie and going to get pizza or whatever it is. It's not the same very-dedicated sort of consciousness that you have in a movie theater, so getting rid of the glasses will be a big deal."

Some say they're waiting for the time when they'll be able to indulge in 3D without the glasses. Others maintain that such viewing (glasses or no) can cause relatively serious health issues; many have complained of headaches and vision issues. But regardless, it's a technology that will continue to press forward.

4/25/2011 10:52:46 AM Ben Dutka

http://www.psxextreme.com/ps3-news/8952.html

Yeah, i have quite poor eyesight as it is, and one of the things thats actully good about your eyesight (if your shortsighted) is your depth perception. so personally, i'm concerned about the health issues related to 3D.

my personal feeling is that we're decendants of apes, our eyes were never meant to be exposed to the current level of radiation, so i'm am a bit concerned about the health risks from something like 3D.

The Day Glasses Console 3D Gaming appears is when I'll fully embrace 3D Technology.

Yes I'll have to wait a lonnggg time...

"but don't forget that Avatar: The Game was one of the very first 3D offerings in the interactive entertainment world"

Dear PSM Extreme writer,

Ahem ...

Sincerely,

Those That Research Before Publishing

wow,that's a really good find. I did'nt know something like that was around back then,and I'm oldschoolfool. 

He....didn't really say much.

I'm not convinced yet it will catch on this time. I had my 3D gaming set up in '98, nvidia lcd shutter glasses with a pc hooked up to a CRT projector onto a 72 inch screen. The effect was very convincing and playing Descent 2 was pretty cool on it.

Yet after a month or so the novelty was gone, and after another month I didn't bother with it anymore. Plenty of games were compatible with it but after a while I just went back to playing without the glasses for better frame rate, a clearer picture and less eye strain. It's no so much the flickering that is annoying but the fact that focussing on things coming out of the screen creates a conflict. You have to unlearn to focus on where you think the object is in front of you since it's still drawn on the screen further away. That's not going away until we get holographic projections.

Glassless 3D tvs as of now suck, since you have to keep your head in the same spot. No shifting to get comfortable or leaning into corners etc.

Maybe I'll get a tv with passive glasses when they come out for watching movies. No flickering, no charging, no loss of 3D when you move your head. Watching a movie with glasses once in a while is enough for me. Playing a game for a long time still doesn't sound appealing, especially not trading in resolution and/or framerate to do so.